Major settlements

Minor settlements

Resources

Affiliation

Location

The current gate to Uldum hasn't been touched on since the beginning of the game's history. However the gates have been shattered and the world of Uldum is accessible.

As with Uldaman and Ulduar, Uldum houses one of only a few of the known titan constructions, the existence of which predates that of mortal life on Azeroth. For years historians have explored southern Kalimdor for a means of entry into this ancient titan land, searching for more evidence of Azeroth's origins. But the Cataclysm will change everything, for the façade behind which Uldum has been tucked for millennia will be ruptured, leaving powerful mysteries vulnerable to discovery by the bravest, smartest, or perhaps even most brutal explorers.

Uldum (pronounced: /uːl'duːm/) (also known as "the Land of the Titans") is an ancient desert located on the southern coast of Kalimdor, surrounded by Un'Goro Crater in the north, the Tanaris Desert in the east, and Silithus in the northwest. It is the homeland of stone-cat people known as Tol'vir and is rich with Titan lore. Somewhere in Uldum is a pyramid known as the Halls of Origination. Deathwing's minions are looking for it, trying to use it as a weapon of mass destruction.

Contents

History

Fragments unearthed from Bael Modan suggest that a great titancity lies deep within the rocky expanse of the southern desert. So far, dwarven expeditions have yet to track down the location of Uldum, but they are confident that it’s only a matter of time.[1] Uldum is a research facility for the titans in their continuing efforts to enhance the biosphere of Azeroth. Specific information regarding their work as it relates to Uldum is unknown and can only be accessed with the Plates of Uldum.[2]

Uldum was mentioned in the legends of Azeroth, but its location long remained a mystery. Brann Bronzebeard mentioned in his travelogue, Lands of Mystery, that he searched for it all over Tanaris but could never find it. He wondered if it could just be another name for the Caverns of Time, but he didn't know for sure.[3] However, his assumption proved to be false, as Uldum is actually located on the southern edge of the continent, hidden by some sort of Titan cloaking device. The Cataclysm damaged the device and unveiled the long forgotten, mysterious land.

Interaction with the native, friendly Tol'vir known as the Ramkahen sheds some light on the ancient history of the region. The Tol'vir were left behind by the titans ages ago to guard their secrets, knowledge and fighting techniques imprinted upon their very DNA and passed down from generation to generation. Sprawling cities rose, stone by stone, erected by the Tol'vir. Wars came and went, but after centuries upon centuries the Tol'vir lost much of what they remembered of their titan creators. The Neferset split from the Ramkahen, the two tol'vir factions warring with one another. The Ramkahen discover that their former brethren have allied themselves with Deathwing, looting and pillaging the tombs of their forefathers. Deathwing has sent other minions as well, under the eye of Commander Schnottz, to unearth the secrets of the obelisks and other ruins they can discover. Some of the Ramkahen have stood against the mighty Deathwing, but have paid a terrible price. Orsis, once a powerful city, has been swallowed by the sand, powers brought forth by more of Deathwing's allies.

A jungle and then a desert

Generations ago, the Thunder King and his mogu armies combined with the zandalari trolls had decided to invade Uldum in southern Kalimdor, at the time a lush jungle, to try to capture the Forge of Origination which was guarded by the tol'vir. First they were offered a place in the empire, but they surprisingly refused, so the invasion was initiated. Unbeknownst to the mogu and trolls, the tol'vir had discovered how to activate the Forge of Origination, whose power could potentially scour all life from Azeroth, but they learned to limit it's scope to just the region of Uldum. Just as the armies invaded, some tol'vir martyrs delayed the armies at the entrance to the Halls of Origination while most of the remaining tol'vir remained inside. The armies were obliterated along with most life in Uldum, turning it into a desert, but destroying the amassed enemy and killing the Thunder King.[4]

Much of the remainder of Uldum is wind-swept desert, dunes swallowing many of the old tombs and ruins. |Al'Akir'sair elemental minions, under the direction of Deathwing, have wreaked havoc against those that would stand against him, using their wind powers to bury his detractors in deep sands. The eastern shores contain the vast majority of the tombs, now being plundered by Neferset and cursed gnomes, and further away from the waters lies the Titan complex known as the Halls of Origination. To the southwest lies Schnottz's encampment where his workers scramble to unearth more artifacts. The northwestern part is the location of the Obelisk of the Stars and The Gate of Unending Cycles connecting the region with Tanaris desert. The Cataclysm also brought the Skywall towers into Uldum that serve as an entrance to the Al'Akir's domain, structures floating high in the air off the southern coast of Uldum, supported by nothing but magic and clouds.

Notable characters

Quests

There are essentially three major quest plots as players progress through Uldum. The first centers around the Ramkahen and their wayward brethren, the Neferset. Players help gather their council together after doing a handful of side quests, including rescuing one of their sons from the Neferset and helping to discover the cause of the Vir'naal River corruption. In light of the Neferset's allegiance with Deathwing, their plundering of the old tombs, and the burial of Orsis beneath the sands, the majority of the council votes to go to war with the Neferset. Players are then sent to help outfit and recruit troops, as well as discover an ancient artifact of power before finally attacking the Neferset directly at their city.

The second line takes players gallivanting through the deserts with none other than Harrison Jones. He's been attempting to discern the location of an ancient Titan artifact, the Coffer of Promise. His adventures pit players up against Schnottz's men. The obelisks of the region are restored to power, and the Coffer is eventually revealed...

The last line has players working for Commander Schnottz, acting like loyal followers as they try to discover his real reasons for tearing up the desert. After an assassination attempt against him fails, Schnottz begins to suspect everyone around him, and this includes the players. They are almost killed by a Firing Squad, but Harrison saves the day. Players later meet Schnottz when they uncover the Coffer with Harrison.

The Coffer is revealed to be a device that can restore life, as it does in the Cradle of the Ancients. It also contains the discs needed to access the reorigination device within the Halls of Origination, something Deathwing desperately wants to get his claws on. Further quests have players assisting Brann Bronzebeard in bringing the device into the Halls in an attempt to override the device, so that the entire planet isn't broken down into its original basic components and then reassembled.

Additional information

Pre-Wrath of the Lich King

Before the launch of Wrath of the Lich King players' only knowledge of Uldum came from a quest chain that brought players into Uldaman. Defeating the final boss and opening a vault behind him revealed a Stone Titan. This metallic being guarded a set of discs that, once interpreted, provided much of the breadth of the Titan storyline as it pertains to life on Azeroth. The watcher explained to players that a Pantheon of metallic-skinned Titans (called "Watchers" earlier in the game's history) created a rock-based race called Earthen to shape the subterranean zones of Azeroth. Over time, however, these beings were somehow mutated into troggs and then later, dwarves.

Later, these plates were turned into quest givers in Ironforge and Thunder Bluff. It was revealed that there was another data repository with additional plates containing missing information, and players are tasked with searching out the whereabouts of the plates. This area they are hidden in turns out to be Uldum, but the quest "dead-ended" and there was no additional information given about Uldum itself.

Before the launch of Cataclysm, Blizzard finally revealed that Uldum would exist as a zone with its own story, but there continues to not be any "Plates of Uldum" lootable in the game.

Trivia

Uldum is also the name of a small town in Denmark, located in Jutland[1].

Speculation

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

It is said that Uldum was one of the three ancient halls in which the earthen (the ancestors of the dwarves) were left to sleep by their titan creators.[5] Similar locations exist at Uldaman and Ulduar; additionally, a fourth location, Maraudon, is the location of Terramok, an ancient titan vault.